In Memory Of
by CreativeJournalist
Summary: A Sonic Underground fic. An accident kills Sonia and Manic. Sonic has vowed to find Mom and stop Robotnik once and for all. But can he do it alone? Not good with summaries.
1. TickTock

My first fic! Yay! Hope you like it. Yeah, it's going to be really sad, but I was in the mood. I warned that I was the Queen of Torture.

Reminder: This takes place three years after the original series ended. So this makes them almost eighteen. They did not find Queen Aleena yet and Robotnik is starting to get crueler. Wait and see.

I own nothing. Isn't that sad? All copyrights to their owners.

**Chapter 1:** Tick-Tock

From a hill a mile away, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic looked at the building that was next to go. The snow was falling gently around them. The factory was larger than the normal ones, three stories high, and a bunch of large windows. It was newly installed and built to make a new model of improved SWATbots.

Not if the Sonic Underground has anything to say about it.

"One more time," Sonia said. "We place the bombs inside-"

"Get out and blow the place up!" Sonic finished. "We got it, Sis."

"Dude, she was just making sure," Manic said.

The blue hedgehog sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

"You've been kinda edgy lately," his brother continued.

"I wonder why," Sonic said, glancing at his sister. She said nothing.

"Well, let's do it to it!"

Armed with their bombs, Sonic took a hold of his siblings' arms. Before he started running, he first said, "No disappearing again, right?"

Sonia and Manic nodded in turn. They had noticed over the years that their brother was becoming more concerned about them. Probably because Robotnik was making more dangerous weapons and traps; they nearly lost their lives a few times.

Sonic then took off to the building and at the entrance, they went their separate ways. He couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

_Ten minutes later._

"Okay, that should do it," Sonia said as she installed the last bomb.

"Good. Let's get out of here," Manic said. "This place kinda gives me the creeps."

The whole time they were there, they had noticed the absence of sounds. Silent as a tomb, unlike the normal sounds of a SWATbot factory, machines moving, things clanking. It was unsettling.

They stopped short in front of the metal door. It was closed. "That's weird," Manic said. "I don't remember it closing."

He went over to the keypad and entered the code. Nothing happened. Frowning slightly, he tried again; nothing. Annoyance showing, he pulled out a screwdriver from his fanny pack. "Stupid thing. Must've gotten stuck."

While the green hedgehog worked on the keypad, Sonia glanced once more at the bombs. She was almost afraid that they would detonate themselves. But that was silly; they wouldn't as long as the button on the remote control in her pocket was pressed. But if it was accidentally, it wouldn't do anything since the safety measure was on. An improvement just in case.

"Shoot." Sonia turned to her brother, wondering what could be wrong. "Look at this!" he said. She did so and saw a bunch of broken wires. They looked as though they had been chewed apart. "This is just great! You think there wouldn't be any rats here yet."

"Rats. Ick."

None of them had noticed the timer on the bombs had started.

_2:00_

Sonic meanwhile was at the other side of the building, installing his own bombs. He now had only one bomb to go and then, KA-BOOM!!! He grinned at the thought. It was satisfying to see one of Robotnik's plans go up in flames and smoke. However, he wondered if it would ever end. Were they making any progress at all?

And Mom. It has been nearly three years since he and his siblings had found each other, yet she still hasn't been found. When was the time to come to overthrow Robotnik?

He came to a metal box on the wall, the perfect place to set the last one. He placed it on the little door, the magnets holding it in place, and geared up to start running when he noticed something. Sparks began emitting from the box and bomb.

"That can't be good," Sonic said.

He saw electric currents go from the metal box to the wires connected to it, spreading all over the building. He was about to run when it suddenly stopped. Unsure what happened, he looked closer at the bomb. That was when he ran, as fast as he could.

The bomb had activated.

_1:58_

Sonic ran outside of the building, skidding to a stop, snow flying everywhere. Panting, he looked around. No one was there. But they were supposed to meet right here, Sonia would activate the bombs, and he would get them to safety.

But they weren't there.

Sonic knew his eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him, yet he was sure his sister wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the safety off and push the button. So what had happened?

Sonic shook his head. He'd figure it out later. Right now, they were in danger. Being blown to bits along with the building. But in which section could they be in? Time was running out. He ran back inside and began where he last saw them, pausing long enough to make sure they weren't there.

_1:52_

Sonia threw her hands in the air. "Well, this is just great! What do we do now?"

Manic thought for a moment. "Well, maybe I can rearrange the wires to fix it. Might work."

"Well, there is no way that I'm jumping out those windows there," Sonia said, glancing at those big glass panes. "We're bound to break something."

_1:45_

Sonic was almost through and he still didn't find them. Starting to panic, he called out their names. "Sonia! Manic! We've got to get out! This place is going to BLOW!!!"

_0:17_

"Okay, that should do it," Manic said as he put the control panel back together.

"That was quick," she complimented.

"This stuff is a breeze to me. Lucky for us."

_0:10_

"Hey, did you hear that?" the magenta hedgehog said. Sure enough, they heard a frantic voice.

_0:07_

"It's Sonic!" Manic exclaimed. "Something's up!"

_0:05_

"Open the door quick!" his sister said. "Something must have really shaken him up."

Her brother reached out his hand to press in the code.

_0:00 Times-up_

---_._

And cliff hanger!!! Don't worry. I'll explain things later. But on to more important things. Did I do a good job? Review please.


	2. Someone's Gonna Die

I'm back!!! With a sad chapter, I warn you.

I own nothing. Sad, but not as sad as this.

**Chapter 2:** Someone's Gonna Die

The explosion rang in his ears and he skidded to a stop. Two bombs exploded at the same time, one in front of him, one behind. He heard their screams ahead, something he had never heard before and hoped he wouldn't. They were pure fear.

"Sonia! Manic!" Sonic was about to quicken his pace but another bomb exploded right in front of him. The sudden wave of heat made him step back a few paces. Another inch and he would have been roasted hedgehog.

_Sonia. Manic. Hang on._

-

The explosion was so unexpected and so close to them that they couldn't do anything. The deafening blast and heat pushed them back with such force; Sonia had collided into a wall and was almost knocked unconscious.

Manic, however, was closer to one of the large windows. The blast sent him crashing through the glass. For a few moments he was free falling but it seemed longer. As though time had slowed down.

He knew he was screaming but he couldn't hear it. The explosion must have made him deaf, maybe temporarily. Random thoughts raced through his head, then he finally grasped one thought. Someone was gonna die.

Manic hit the ground hard, the pain waving through him. He could feel a few shards of glass underneath him cut into his flesh. Several more rain down, miraculously missing his eyes. However, some rather sharp pieces had sliced other parts of his body.

Another explosion came, then another. He heard his sister scream again. Sonia, she needed help! He tried to move, but the pain was too much. Blood was oozing all over the ground, turning the snow red. Another explosion came and more glass rained down.

It was getting harder to focus as his life was literally flowing away. He jolted as a large shard stabbed into his stomach. The pain was unbearable. He was too weak to even scream, only a small moan escaped.

Was Sonia okay? And Sonic? These were his last thoughts as he drifted unconscious.

-

Sonia struggled to stay conscious but it was becoming extremely difficult. She had seen her brother fall out the window but wasn't entirely sure if it was real. The smoke was making it hard to breathe, making her brain fuzzy. And it was so hot. It couldn't be happening.

She heard Manic's screams and came to her senses. It was real, it was actually happening. Ignoring her pain, she struggles to get into a standing position. She didn't hear the next bomb go off but she felt its shockwaves. The blast knocked her to the floor again.

The flames started licking her body and she screamed. Sonia struggled to get away, but everywhere she looked there was flames. The burning pain and the smoke was making it difficult to think. She could see the door beyond a few feet of flames.

Her instincts took control. In blind panic she hurried to the door. Only one thing was on her mind. _Get out!_

Sonia reached the door as another bomb exploded, this one closer to her. It was a wonder that she wasn't blown to bits. However, more flames leaped around the room. She wondered how she would die: smoke inhalation, burning, or blown to bits.

Immediately, the pink hedgehog stopped these thoughts. She wasn't going to die, not without a struggle. Besides, she couldn't die, not yet.

She reached to the keypad and punched in the code. _So close._ The door slid open and she walked out. She tried to hurry, knowing that there was one more bomb close that would blow.

Sonia limped forward, looking for a way out. She was only ten feet away when she felt a searing, hot pain in her back. Surprised and exhausted, she collapsed to the floor.

She heard the whoosh of her brother just as she passed out.

-

"Sonia!" the blue furred hedgehog said. He stopped in front of her, shocked at what he was seeing. She had third-degree burns all over her body, her fur and clothes were badly singed, this wasn't the Sonia he knew.

He gently picked her up, she slightly moaned. "Hang on Sonia," he muttered. "I'll get you out."

Fire was coming at them from both ways; no escape, except… Sonic glanced at the windows. _Maybe, just maybe…_

He backed up against the wall; the flames were getting closer. He held his sister close and whispered, "Hang on."

He took off at a run and smashed through the window. The glass didn't hurt as much as he was feeling inside. As he was flying through the air, he glanced down and saw blood.

_No! Not Manic too!_

Sonic braced himself for the impact of the ground. There was a brief moment of pain but he started sliding down the slope. He had forgotten that the factory was on a hill. The angle was allowing him to escape without much injury.

He stopped sliding when he came to the bottom. He glanced at his sister; she was breathing but barely. He gently put her on the ground and climbed back up, hoping he had imagined what he had seen. But when he reached the top, he saw his brother lying on the ground, bleeding, not moving.

"Manic!" Sonic raced over and gasped. A bunch of glass shards had stabbed into the green hedgehog. Blood was all over the ground, the snow dyed red. His eyes were closed.

Sonic fell to his knees from shock. The fact that his brother was like this, and also the fact that he was still alive. But just like Sonia, barely.

Gently, he picked out the shards and, even more gently, picked up his brother and laid him over his shoulder. He walked down to the bottom of the hill and, with difficulty, laid his sister over his other shoulder. Then, he ran just before the building collapsed from the wreckage.

Normally he would have stayed and watched the fireworks, but now was not the time. Sonia and Manic needed help, fast. Sonic turned up the speed to Robotropolice.

-

Sonic paced in the hallway of the Resistance Hospital. He had been sitting for the first few minutes, no, first three seconds until he started walking. He knew the conditions were severe and for one fleeting moment, he wondered if they wouldn't make it.

"No, don't be stupid," he said to himself. "They'll make it. They wouldn't give up yet. They wouldn't…."

He sat back down on the bench; pacing wasn't helping. But his dark thoughts now seem to come faster. _Sonia and Manic. Gone._ Shaking his head, he resumed his pacing.

But then a second later, he fell to the floor, gasping in pain. It wasn't one that one would feel from a laser shot or something. No. This was an internal pain, the most painful one could experience. It felt like death.

"_Goodbye, Sonic. I know you'll defeat him." Sonia? Was that her?_

Just when he thought it was gone, Sonic felt it again. Death.

"_See ya, bro. Don't get carried away." Manic? No way._

The feeling was gone, leaving him different. Empty, hollowed out. Like nothing would ever fill it up again. He got up from the floor and collapsed onto the bench.

Two minutes later, one of the Freedom Fighters' nurses, an orange cat, came out of the room where his siblings were. That look on her face told him all he needed to know.

"They're dead. Aren't they?" he said softly.

The nurse said nothing at first, but finally worked up the courage to continue. "I'm afraid there was nothing we could do. It was… too much for them. I'm sorry."

Sonic then knew what he was feeling before. It was death, the deaths of his siblings. And a part of himself went with them.

---_._

WHAA!!! Sad, sad, sad. I can't believe I did that! Hope it was okay. Review please.


	3. Grief and Rage

WHOO-HOO! I GOT A CHAPTER UP! Nope. I haven't forgotten about this story. I hope this chapter is suitable enough for the time I didn't update. Now then, you all know the saying, "It can't get much worse than this, right?" Well, it's wrong for this story. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Want to know why? Keep reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic Underground. If I did, well, use your imagination.

**Chapter 3:** Grief and Rage

Sonic looked at the two graves of his siblings. The funeral had been over two hours ago, but he still couldn't believe that they were gone. It seemed unreal.

Yet, there were the graves. Two tombstones were over freshly dug piles of dirt, which were slowly being buried in the falling snow. Dates were inscribed on them: _March 2, 2742—February 17, 2761_

When the nurse had said they were dead, Sonic hadn't quite believed her. Even though he had spent the last few days alone in their hideout, he kept expecting to hear them come in. Now seeing these graves made him realize it was final. They were never coming back.

He _had_ felt them leave. But, it didn't make things easier. It was the simple fact that they wouldn't be back. No more jokes. No more teasing, blowing things up, playing music, being together.

The feeling was alien. Loneliness.

Sonic brushed his hand over the graves. "Why?" he whispered. "Why did you have to go? You… you didn't do anything to deserve this." His vision became blurred to his surprise. He hadn't cried since he was three; when his foster parents were taken away. He held them back; he wasn't a crier.

He glanced up and noticed that it was even darker than before and the lights of the city were lit up. It was also getting colder and he had forgotten his jacket. It was probably time to go now. But…

He looked back at the graves and finally let the tears loose. It couldn't be possible. They couldn't be gone. Just a few days ago, they seemed so alive. It couldn't be true.

Sonic stood up from the ground and took one last look. He turned and proceeded back to his home. Which would now be empty, except for him.

You always imagine the days when your siblings would stop bugging you and leave. But afterwards, you'll wish they were back.

Gone as gone can be. Gone as you can get.

-

Sonic didn't go directly to his home. He was just passing the club he usually went to when he stopped. After a moment's hesitation, he entered the club. He didn't really want to go to that empty building yet.

The mood inside the club was disconsolate. There wasn't much talk. Basically the only sound was the jukebox in the corner and that wasn't very joyful either.

Sonic sat on one of the stools of the counter, ignoring the looks of the others. The bartender gave him his usual order and an understanding nod. Sonic was glad that he didn't say anything.

"Hey Sonic."

The blue hedgehog turned to see his friend, Cyrus, sit on the stool next to him.

"You don't look too good, Cy," Sonic commented.

"Neither do you." Cyrus sighed. "I'm sorry about what happened, Sonic."

"It's not your fault," Sonic said, a little irked. He hated it when people said that. There was nothing that anyone could've done. Nothing can change it now.

A sudden thought came to him. "I wonder if Mom knows." He didn't realize he said it aloud until he heard Cyrus answer.

"She might've. Every member of the resistance knows of the incident. One of her followers would've tipped her off."

"Man," Sonic said desolately. "We hardly knew her. Never had a chance to. And now they never will."

Sonic slammed his fist on the counter. "I want to kill him," he said. "He has gone way too far now."

Cyrus knew whom he was talking about and changed the subject. "For some reason, we've been unable to contact the resistance in Tashinstan and Lake Valley. Something must be jamming their frequencies."

Sonic remembered those places. They were where Raphi and Stripes resided. He hadn't heard from them for months now. "Hmm, maybe," he said. "Unless they can't communicate."

"You mean…"

"Yep, they've been attacked. The same thing happened to Renez in Anez and who knows where else. It's like an extermination."

Sonic's thoughts drifted back to the video link message. He had received it that morning but had been out at the time. Surprise and dread had filled him when he saw it. Reluctantly, he pressed the play button.

"Hello? Hello? Anyone there? Oh for Pete's sake, answer! I've tried everyone but there is no answer. Lake Valley, East Way, Port Mobius; none! I fear the worst has happened. Robotnik must've found them. He is taking us down like flies! And now – what was that?"

"_I don't know,"_ someone off-screen said. _"I'll go check – ahh!"_

Lights flashed across the screen and Renez shouted, _"We're under attack! I repeat: we're under attack!"_ Renez swore and yelled, _"You're not taking me that easily!"_ She pulled out a laser gun and started blasting at something off-screen. Then abruptly, the monitor went to static.

By the time he had received it, it had been too late to do anything. He had sent out a warning to the stations nearest to Anez, but there had been no response.

Sonic snapped back to the present when he heard it.

_CRASH! BAM!_

The sound echoed loudly in his ears. Time seemed to slow down as he looked for the source of the sound.

_BAM! BAM!_

Another sound. Something was trying to force its way into the club. Sonic located the sound coming from the wall nearest the entrance. He had known instantly what it was. Apparently the others did too as some began to scatter.

"SWATbot attack!" someone shouted.

There was a final blasting sound and smoke filled the room as the wall was blown away. A SWATbot emerged from the smoke. Time sped up again.

"Members of the Resistance," the SWATbot said. "You are under arrest."

The robot started firing its lasers. Two more SWATbots followed the first. The resistance grabbed their laser guns and fired back. The few that weren't were looking for a way to escape. From the opposite wall, another blast shot through and more SWATbots joined in the fight.

A rage began to fill Sonic, a burning, intense rage. His grief became fuel for his fury. He did a super spin at the nearest SWATbot and tore right through it like it was made of paper.

Though the Resistance outnumbered the robots five to one, the SWATbots were gaining the upper hand. They were improved types of ARTT, able to adapt themselves to defeat their foes. However, they couldn't be swayed by music. Like Sonic wanted to sing a song anyway.

The robots were also equipped with heat seeking stunners. This way, even if their aim is off, their target can still be stunned. This was becoming a big disadvantage for the Resistance right now.

Sonic dodged the lasers that were shot at him, but they ended up hitting those that were near him. One of the beams kept following him relentlessly, until he finally managed to get it to hit a wall by moving at the last millisecond.

By this time, three SWATbots were taken down, but a few more took their place. The Resistance numbers were decreasing dramatically. Sonic noticed that Cyrus was having trouble and pulled him behind the bar counter just as three lasers were shot at him.

It took Cyrus a moment to realize what had just happened. "Thanks, Sonic," he said.

"No problem, but its looking pretty bad here," Sonic said, grimly. "Doubt that most of us will make it out. But dang it if I'm going down without a fight."

With that, he swung over the counter and barreled himself into the nearest SWATbot. Cyrus fired at other bots, using the bar counter for cover. Sonic managed to bring down his SWATbot and attacked another.

However, despite their best efforts, the Resistance was out numbered three to one now. In a matter of seconds, the only ones left were Sonic and Cyrus.

Cyrus managed to bring down two of the six SWATbots left before he felt the laser behind him. He was struck right in the back and he slumped forward over the counter.

Sonic saw this happen and it caused him to hesitate too long. At last a stunner managed to strike him. His body froze, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and all went to blackness.

"_Dang it,"_ was his last thought.

---_._

Man, I'm not sure if I made a good SWATbot fight. Well, at least I didn't forget this story. If you don't remember Raphi, Stripes, Renez, or ARTT, see episodes 11, 12, 34, and 38 respectively. I'm not sure if it is ARTT or ART. I've seen both. Yeah, a lot of episodes are mentioned.

By the way, I'm sure that there were pretty good opportunities to swear. Even though this is rated T; that is for the violence, not swearing. I don't like to swear. Don't like the story without it? Tough.

Well, read and review.


	4. Futile?

Okay, I know this story is long overdue, but from now on, I'm giving this my all! This is coming first above all my stories!

Anyway, readers of this story, you can thank Ghostkid33 for keeping it alive. Quite frankly, I was about ready to pull it out. Well, that's not going to happen. This will be finished or may lightning strike me!

I hope this chapter is good enough for those who've been waiting for so long.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sonic Underground in any way. Which is probably a good thing.

This chapter is for you Ghostkid33! Enjoy!

**Chapter 4:** Futile?

The figure watched from the rooftops as the carrier pulled into the building. As they were unloading, it pulled out it's binoculars and held it to its eyes. It recognized one of the prisoners as its accomplice. He was in handcuffs and led to the door. Perfect. Everything was going just as planned.

It glanced in surprise as another carrier entered the scene. Judging by its size, there were a lot of people in it. It trained its binoculars on the sight and its eyes widened when it recognized most of the resistance members. They all seemed to be unconscious. Its eyes almost popped out of its head when it saw Sonic the Hedgehog among them. He, too, was out of it.

The figure lowered its binoculars. This was going to be a problem. With so many invalids, they wouldn't be able to slip out as quickly as it would've liked. Some might not make it. It sighed. Nothing they could do about it.

The headset it was wearing beeped. The figure tapped it once. "What's up?"

"I'm in position," the called said. "How about him?"

"Yeah, he's in," the figure said. "And so are a bunch of others," it added.

"How much?" the person asked warily.

The figure winced. "About twenty."

"Jeez! That's going to be a problem. How did they find them?"

"How should I know? I can't keep tabs on every network of his!" the figure snapped, forgetting to keep its voice down. Realizing its mistake, it ducked out of sight to avoid detection.

"Alright, alright! Calm down!" the caller said.

The figure sighed. "Sorry. It's been a rough week."

"I know. It's been rough for me too."

There was a brief pause. The figure looked at the building again. The robots were still working. They didn't seem to have heard a thing.

"We still doing this?" the caller asked.

"We have to," the figure said without hesitation. "We can't abandon him or any of them. Just – just try to get as many as you can. And don't forget our objective."

"Operation Steal is a go then. Will be waiting for signal. Over and out."

The headset went dead. The figure watched as the doors started to close. It turned on its heel and disappeared into the darkness. No going back now.

-

Slowly, Sonic's senses were returning to him. Well, his sense of hearing at least. There was the clank of metal against metal, the whirrs of a robot as it passed him, and, somewhere in the distance, a scream.

He soon became aware of the cold, metal floor that he was lying on. With a little effort, he opened his eyes. Just as he figured, he was somewhere in Robotnik's dungeons.

He tried to push himself up, but found that his hands were handcuffed behind him. Moving sluggishly, he rolled onto his back and pushed himself into a sitting position. It crossed his mind that he could be drugged, considering how disoriented he felt. Robotnik certainly made sure that he wasn't going anywhere for a while.

Until it was time for the roboticizer.

Sonic forced that thought out of his head and tried to think of a way to escape. But his thoughts drifted unwillingly to how the others would react. Sonia would be figuring out where they went wrong and Manic would have these locks picked before you could say "Mobius".

Sonic's heart thudded painfully at these thoughts and tried to push them away. But it overwhelmed him. Defeat on top of loss was a concoction too much to bear. But he held back his tears. As down as he was, he wouldn't let Dr. Robotnik see him breakdown.

When the SWATbot came a few minutes later, he tried to fight it off. But since he was loaded down with handcuffs, drugs, and grief, he didn't fare well. The SWATbot dragged him down the corridor, into an elevator, down another hallway, and into a huge metal room. It was mostly bare except for a metal circle bolted to the ground and a bunch of wires going from the circle to a bunch of control panels. Dr. Robotnik was standing at one of the control panels, grinning broadly. Sleet, one of his henchmen, was behind him. He barely noticed that Dingo wasn't there. His eyes were fixated on the big, fat man in front of him.

The robot dropped him in the metal circle and forced his head down. "Bow before your ruler," it said.

"Well, well, well," Robotnik said. "If it isn't Prince Sonic. Or should I say ex-prince?"

Sonic gnashed his teeth together.

"After all these years of fighting, it's finally come to this."

Sonic managed to push back with enough force to move his head. "Save your gloating for later," he said. "The war's not over till your mom starts singing."

Robotnik frowned at the interruption. He always had to spoil his one moment of glory. No matter. "Talk all you want, hedgehog. It won't change a thing. I have you now. This silly war is over."

"Even if I'm gone, the resistance is still out there."

"Who?" Robotnik asked mockingly. "Queen Aleena? Your siblings? I don't see them coming, do you?"

It was Sonic's turn to frown. Robotnik took the opportunity to gloat some more.

"Didn't you wonder what activated the bombs? Ever give it a second thought?"

Of course he had. He had wondered every hour of everyday why. But he had thought it was some stupid mistake they had overlooked. What could he know about it? Unless…

"Did you really think I was going to use that hunk of junk to build a factory? The whole thing was a trap! Imagine. Your very own weapons turned against you. That metal box activated the bomb you put on it. Since your whole system was connected, all the others were turned on as well. It was really entertaining to watch it blow up and see their last moments. To watch them die. I even videotaped it."

Sonic couldn't believe it. He knew Robotnik was a cruel man, but he never thought he would sink this low. Robotnik watched in satisfaction as the hedgehog began shaking in anger. He continued to rub it in.

"And through all these years, your mother still hasn't show up. I guess she finally came to her senses and gave up. But you, you brats never did. And look where it got your brother and sister, dead and buried."

Sonic snapped. "Murderer!" he shouted. He tried to attack him, but a SWATbot grabbed him and held him back. Dr. Robotnik laughed at his pitiful attempts.

"Given all that's happened, I'm not surprised you didn't notice these were gone." Sonic gasped as he held up two familiar items: Sonia and Manic's medallions.

"They were left behind at the factory," he continued. "Since their owners aren't here anymore, I'll just keep them. Which reminds me." He pointed to another SWATbot. "Take his medallion!"

Sonic tried to resist, but with the drugs and the robot holding him back, he lost it. He could do nothing but glare as it was handed to the tyrant. He was angry beyond all words.

"Don't look at me like that! It's not like you'll need it now. Face it, Sonic; you lost. The prophecy cannot happen. Therefore, I can't be defeated. Mobius is mine!"

The SWATbot dropped Sonic in the circle. Dr. Robotnik pushed a button on the control panel and the metal wall of the roboticizer rose around him. "Say goodbye, hedgehog."

When the machine closed, all Sonic could see was darkness. Suddenly, a light appeared and moved up and down, scanning him. He tried to think of a way out, but Robotnik's words came back to him.

The prophecy cannot happen.

The fire in him started to die. He knew all four members of the royal family had to be together if there was any hope of completing it. If two were dead, then what was the point? The game had already ended. Why keep fighting for a lost cause?

He hated to admit it, but Robotnik was right.

The machine hummed as if in agreement with him. There was a cackle of electricity and a beam of light shone above him. The process of being turned into a robot was about to begin.

It's over.

-

Outside the machine, Dr. Robotnik watched as the roboticizer charged up. It was a pity that this wasn't the fate for all three hedgehogs, but one was good enough. Killing had been satisfying as well, even if it hadn't been directly by his hand.

Suddenly, the intruder alarm sounded, spoiling his good mood. A loud bang echoed throughout the room, followed by a second, then a third. Someone was on the other side of the metal door, trying to knock it down.

"Sleet!" Robotnik shouted. "What's causing that ruckus?"

The wolf was at another panel, pressing buttons. An error sign appeared on every screen. "I-I don't know sir," he answered. "All the cameras are offline."

"Well, don't just stand there like Dingo! Send out the security bots!"

"I'm trying, sir, but it's not working."

-

It's over.

Dimly, Sonic was aware of the alarms blaring and the pounding of metal. But he was too concentrated on the end to take notice. Survival instincts were poking at the edges of his brain, but he ignored them too.

It's over.

The laser was now fully charged and prepared to blast him. He closed his eyes, waiting.

It's over.

I never took you for a quitter.

Sonic's eyes snapped open.

Dude, you seriously giving up? Did we just die for nothing then?

Confusion rolled through him. Did the pain and grief finally make him go crazy? Was he imagining them there in his final moments so he wouldn't feel alone?

Don't you dare think this is the end. It's not over yet! If you give up, I'm strangling you the next time I see you. I don't care if you're dead, I'll do it anyway!

Opportunity is singing and singing loud, Sonic. You going to let it pass you by?

---_._

Jeez, Sleet is such a suck-up. Now I remember why I dislike him so. By the way, I'm not really sure how a robotization process goes. I hope I did okay with that. Heck, I hope I did okay with this entire chapter. Heh, did you get that part about Robotnik's mom singing? I betting she's not an opera singer.

So, any thoughts on who's coming to the rescue? Huh? There are three of them so any of your guesses could be one of them. Guess just for the fun of it. Don't forget to leave a review! Reviews make me happy!


End file.
